Rattlestick Productions' world premiere staging of Jonathan Tolins' The Last Sunday in June, exploring gay life in the era of "Will and Grace," same-sex weddings and sexual-orientation protection, is expected to leap to a commercial run April 1.

Promotional art for The Last Sunday in June.
(Photo by Carol Rosegg)

Producer Ted Snowdon will take the staging to Off Broadway's Century Center on 15th Street, off Union Square, beginning April 1 and opening April 9, following the current hit run that ends March 16 at the Rattlestick Theatre (it opened Feb. 9 there after previews from Jan. 31).

In recent weeks, there was talk in the community that the comedy would likely transfer to a larger, open-ended engagement.

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Tolins, who made a name for himself with The Twilight of the Golds, again addresses gay issues in his New York-set play, which was originally announced to close March 9. Directed by Trip Cullman, The Last Sunday in June is set in the Christopher Street apartment of a young gay couple during the annual New York City Gay Pride Parade.

"Intending to spend the afternoon alone planning their upcoming move to the 'burbs,' Michael and Tom's day is interrupted by one friend after another dropping in, sparking a chain of events that rocks the foundation of their relationship," according to production notes. Tolins said that he wrote the play as an homage to gay theatre. "We are at a new stage in our relationships," he said in a statement. "Our unions are reported in the 'Style' section of The New York Times and our lives are fodder for primetime sitcoms. What do we do now that we are no longer fighting for recognition?"

Rattlestick Productions presented Last Sunday in association with Ted Snowdon at Rattlestick Theatre, 224 Waverly Place off Seventh Avenue South.

Tolins' plays include Broadway's Twilight of the Golds (directed by Arvin Brown and later a film), Off Broadway's If Memory Serves (directed by Leonard Foglia), and Secrets of the Trade, The Climate, The Unveiling and the one-acts Don’t Look, Stewart’s Line, The Mid-Wife and The Man That Got Away. He was also a writer and co-producer of TV's "Queer As Folk."

Tickets for the current limited run are $37.50. Call (212) 206-1515. An on-sale date for Century tickets has not been announced.